Ethiopia has made significant progress in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access over the past decade, yet information on WASH facilities in semi-urban areas remains limited. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the level of improved water supply coverage, assess the availability and accessibility of improved sanitation facilities, and evaluate the key improved hygiene practices carried out at the household level in Silt’e zone Werabe town using a community-based cross-sectional descriptive design with 422 households across urban kebele 01/02 and peri-urban (Fugie Acharie/Anshebieso) kebeles. Data were collected via questionnaires, interviews, in-depth interviews with key informants, and observations, and analyzed using SPSS v26. Results showed disparities: only 15 (21.1%) (Fugie Acharie) and 27 (19.4%) (Anshebieso) in peri-urban kebeles accessed improved basic water services, compared to 78 (84.8)–109 (90.8%) in urban kebeles. Besides, sanitation coverage was higher, 62 (87.3%) and 132 (95.01%) used dry pit latrines. Moreover, mobile handwashing facilities were present in 58 (81.69%) and 118 (84.89%) households, yet soap availability lagged; 39 (54.93%) and 71 (51.07%) had soap for handwashing in the semi-urban kebeles. For instance, in urban 01 and 02 kebeles, most households, 85(92.4%) and 107 (89.2%), used dry pit latrines, with only 7(7.6%) and 13 (10.8%) using pour-flush toilets, respectively. The findings highlight urban-peri-urban inequities in WASH access, urging targeted interventions to improve water reliability, sanitation, and hygiene practices to achieve SDG 6 in semi-urban Ethiopia.
BT - International Journal of Energy and Water Resources DO - 10.1007/s42108-025-00443-y IS - 1 LA - ENG M3 - Article N2 -Ethiopia has made significant progress in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access over the past decade, yet information on WASH facilities in semi-urban areas remains limited. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the level of improved water supply coverage, assess the availability and accessibility of improved sanitation facilities, and evaluate the key improved hygiene practices carried out at the household level in Silt’e zone Werabe town using a community-based cross-sectional descriptive design with 422 households across urban kebele 01/02 and peri-urban (Fugie Acharie/Anshebieso) kebeles. Data were collected via questionnaires, interviews, in-depth interviews with key informants, and observations, and analyzed using SPSS v26. Results showed disparities: only 15 (21.1%) (Fugie Acharie) and 27 (19.4%) (Anshebieso) in peri-urban kebeles accessed improved basic water services, compared to 78 (84.8)–109 (90.8%) in urban kebeles. Besides, sanitation coverage was higher, 62 (87.3%) and 132 (95.01%) used dry pit latrines. Moreover, mobile handwashing facilities were present in 58 (81.69%) and 118 (84.89%) households, yet soap availability lagged; 39 (54.93%) and 71 (51.07%) had soap for handwashing in the semi-urban kebeles. For instance, in urban 01 and 02 kebeles, most households, 85(92.4%) and 107 (89.2%), used dry pit latrines, with only 7(7.6%) and 13 (10.8%) using pour-flush toilets, respectively. The findings highlight urban-peri-urban inequities in WASH access, urging targeted interventions to improve water reliability, sanitation, and hygiene practices to achieve SDG 6 in semi-urban Ethiopia.
PB - Springer Science and Business Media LLC PY - 2025 T2 - International Journal of Energy and Water Resources TI - Disparities in household access to improved water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services: a cross-sectional study of rural–urban Kebeles in Werabe town, Ethiopia VL - 10 SN - 2538-3604, 2522-0101 ER -